Businessman Hassan Babakar Osman with his lawyer Cliff Ombeta before Milimani senior Resident magistrate Helen Onkwani who detained him for 15 days to allow police completes investigations.
BY SAM ALFAN.
A Nairobi court has allowed police to continue holding a Sudanese businessman suspected of impersonating Saudi Arabian Prince for 15 days to allow police complete investigations.
Milimani senior Resident magistrate Helen Onkwani allowed the application by the police to continue holding Hassan Babakar Osman who is also suspected of facilitating the recruitment of youth to join terrorist groups.
On Monday, prosecution through Corporal Cyrus Ikade of Anti-Terrorism Police Unit swore an affidavit in court seeking custodial orders since the suspect was arrested on Sunday at his house in Muthaiga North area Nairobi County and they needed more time to complete investigations.
The court was informed that police wants to investigate how the suspect forged a letter of Attorney purporting to have been vested powers by the prince of Saudi Arabian to transact business in Kenya on his behalf.
Prosecution further said that Osman is wanted by the Saudi Arabian government for purpose of instituting charges of using the said forge letter of Attorney for obtain and swindling money from the public.
The court papers shows that Intelligence report so far received by investigators indicates that the suspect is an associate to unknown ISIS and ISIL recruiters in and outside the country.
“I have information that the respondent has been using the proceeds received from money laundering acts to facilitate the recruitment of youths to join terrorist groups,” said corporal Ikade.
The police while seeking more time told the court they want to establish how the suspect Osman obtained Somalia Republic Passport while his nationality is known to be of Sudanese.
Police also claim that they need to contact the Sudan, Somalia and Saudi Arabian embassies to confirm nationality and the authenticity of the said passport and the letter of Attorney.
The court heard that during a search at the suspect house police recovered several portraits of the Saudi Arabia Prince which they believe he has been impersonating himself to be a prince using the same.
Ikade asked the court to detain Osman for 20 days at Muthaiga police station since if released from custody he may jeopardize police efforts to arrest his associates who are at large.
He also told the court that the suspect is a flight risk in that his permanent domicile is not yet known hence escape from the court jurisdiction before investigations are concluded.
But the suspect through his lawyer Cliff Ombeta opposed the prosecution attempt to have his client detained saying that they have not given compelling reasons to warrant Osman’s detention.
The lawyer also said that the police action influenced by the suspects business rivals so as to scare away his client in order to abandon 100 acres of land he owns in Kilifi County
